Wildlife
by Sabie
Summary: Part6: well... now as Sabie ran away from home, she has to learn the new way of life...


1 WILDLIFE  
  
(August 2028,  
  
Sabie – 10 years)  
  
1.1 Prologue  
  
The flight was too long, over five hours, and Sabie got out of the box and stretched her muscles. Though no one was gonna enter the luggage room during the flight, still she listened to any weird sound around, ready to jump back into the box.  
  
Sabie paced to the wall of the plain, touched it casually, and hissed. It was ever so cold, and she rubbed her hands to warm her fingertips. Where was she flying? She had no idea. She had never ever flown on a plane, so all she could was guessing.  
  
It sure thing wasn't Germany or England she was flying to, as fell as France, Spain, Ukraine (she shuddered at the last one). It could be Russia. She swallowed. All she knew about Russia was how many gangs it possesses and how low the life level is there. She didn't want to go to Russia.  
  
However it looked like no one was gonna ask her whether she wanted or not.  
  
As she felt the plane landed, the sandwich was already eaten and the tears dried up. Silence – then rooting around again, as the luggage was transported out. Soon her box got its attention too, as it was carefully (thanks God!) taken out of the plane inners and on the platform.  
  
As the distance to the airport seemed bearable, Sabie poked her head out of the box and looked around. It was bright around and she had to blink the tears off before she put her sunglasses on. The notes around were made in English, but it was just like in any other airport.  
  
She shrugged and sneaked out of the box. The driver of the platform shouted something to her with way too many cusses in a sentence, but he definitely didn't get where had she gotten from. Maybe thought she crawled onto the field to watch the airplanes.  
  
She ran across the field and sneaked into the nearest door that appeared to be one of the entrances into the main aerostation. Easily mixed with the crowd, thanks to her sunglasses, she finally looked around normally.  
  
The building was veeery big, ten times larger than the one in Amantea in Italy. The people were speaking English, with some weird accent. ~At least no Russia~ Sabie thought and went on till her eyes stopped at the big plate that said California. She gagged, then blinked.  
  
She remembered the small city California that was quite near Amantea, but it couldn't, it just couldn't be it! Too close! Her mind panicked and she rushed forward looking for other notes that would help.  
  
On the way she realized what was weird about the notes around. all of them were made in English. There was no doubling on the other language that should have been native to those who life here, like Spain of Arabic.  
  
She rushed till her stare bumped into the words above the exit. "Welcome to Los-Angeles". Her knees gave way.  
  
Not that she didn't understand from the length of the flight she'd get far from home, but THAT far… She swallowed. It had nothing to do with her plans to get to the other European country. God, there was the whole OCEAN between her and Italy now!  
  
She bit her lower lip and chewed it for some time, trying to push panic off. Absentmindedly she paced to the money-exchange and blinked. Some hundreds of her liras transferred into American money stated no more then ten dollars total. Not to yell, she pressed her hand to her mouth tightly.  
  
~Damn~ she thought and walked out of the aerostation.  
  
The city appeared to be dark ever in spite of the sunny day. It radiated threat that crept under Sabie's shirt making her skin turn goose. High buildings around, cold stares of citizens, even the sun looked colder now.  
  
~Whoa~ Sabie exhaled and slowly walked along the street. ~That's where you'll be living from now on, girl~ an ugly voice whispered inside her mind.  
  
1.2 Part1  
  
~How cold~ Sabie thought, pacing down the street. ~I never thought it could be so cold~.  
  
The sun was replaced by the wind and it was now turning into hurricane, tearing her clothes away and yanking her bad off her shoulder. Step by step she walked, her fingers numb already, and she was warming them up by rubbing them fast one over other, as her warm breath wasn't helping already. She had pulled on everything she had, including both shirts and jacket, but the jacket wasn't windproof, and now she felt her skin slowly turning numb.  
  
She rubbed her shoulders and walked faster, hoping it'd help. It didn't. The wind got so strong it got impossible to breath, and Sabie realized she had to either find some place to hide, or the street will be her grave.  
  
It took another hour to find the suitable chamber, as the first one open was full of rats she was afraid of, and the several next were occupied by what looked like gangs. Finally she found a small basement with some rags on the floor that appeared to be quite suitable for her to sleep on as she gathered them together. Before her head reached the makeshift pillow/bag she was asleep already.  
  
###  
  
She was woken up by someone kicking her with boot, not strong enough to think he was beating her, but far from mild waking her mom gave her. The thought of her mommy almost erupted a sob out of her throat, but as she opened her eyes, the wish subsided.  
  
There were teenagers standing over her, and the one with raven-black hair was now waking her up in that specific manner. "Hmm…" she muttered, then sat up on the rags.  
  
"What're ya doin' here?" he questioned, his voice low but not gruff. "I… I was sleeping here…" Sabie muttered sleepily. "Get out!" the one in combat uniform said, and the raven-black-haired one rose his hand quieting him.  
  
"It's our territory." He informed. "You better get outta here now." Sabie took a deep breath. "Can't I stay?…" she asked pleadingly, and saw the guy in combat clenching his fists.  
  
The black-haired guy's eyes turned from yellow into glowing gold, and before Sabie could do a thing she was pushed into the wall by the force she couldn't indicate the source of. The Japanese guy stepped forward too and hurled a breaking-through stream of wind onto Sabie's pinned form.  
  
With terror she felt herself being slowly pushed into the wall's surface. The small stones escaped from under her shoulders as the pressure increased. She let out a scream that was immediately muffed by the wind that streamed into her throat and would have made her to cough if she could.  
  
She started suffocating, feeling her outer shirt tearing on the back from the pressure, the inner shirt followed along with her skin. Desperately tried she to pull her hands off the wall but couldn't even move her fingers. ~I'll die~ was her last thought as the lack of oxygen brought multicolored circles to her eyes.  
  
Then everything stopped. She blinked, clearing her vision to see the wind still blowing and the pressure still being applied, but not to her already but to transparent sphere around her that showed itself only by blue electric sparkles. "Leave her alone" the voice said, and she turned her eyes to it.  
  
There was a slim form in the doorframe, a girl with extremely long hair that reached almost to the middle of her shins and blue shining eyes. The frame stepped forward and Sabie expected to see her savior when the image made her gag. The girl – and there could be no mistake about her being a girl – was under the moonlight now, bright enough to read a book. However by some miracle she stayed as if in shadows, and only her eyes shone in darkness.  
  
"Come on, guys, there's no need to attack her." She said, and her voice sounded like leaves in the fall. For some reason the guys nodded, and only when Sabie looked closer she noticed something changed in their eyes.  
  
"Even more, we can take her in our gang." The shadow went on. The guys nodded again, and only black-haired one got a frown on his face. The shadow's eyes shone stronger and he nodded too. "Well then" the shadow smiled and it was like she let some shield fade away. Guys blinked, then looked at Sabie. The sphere dissolved in the air.  
  
"Who're you?" the raven-black-haired one asked. "Sabie" she answered with her voice betraying her by shaking. ""Nice name. I'm Simon. He's Ishira" he pointed at the Japanese one. "He's Miles" he pointed at the one in combat. "And here's Alex" he said, motioning to the one in gray jacket, the guy she hadn't seen before.  
  
"Let's move to the Trash" Simon said and motioned to the others. They turned to the door, and Sabie used this time to get closer to the shadow- girl. "What have you done to them?!…" she questioned just above the whisper. The shadow shook her head. "Later" she answered the same quiet.  
  
###  
  
The Trash appeared to be… Sabie called it the base of the Sneaks, as the guys called themselves. It was a big chamber about 30 feet square with various things inside, those like some multistoried beds by the wall, food supplies packed in a box and… Sabie gagged.  
  
She had never ever seen so many weapons in one place, not to mention her never seeing any fire arms in real life at all. About a dozen of different pistols and revolvers laid on the table.  
  
"Like it here?" Alex asked, and she nodded. At least it was warm here, probably due to the fires set in several trash cans around. ~Maybe that's why they call it Trash?~ she thought. "Here" Simon tossed her bag on the second layer of the two-stored bed. "I'm down here" Sabie looked at two other beds, then at the girl laying on her side on the first layer.  
  
"Hmm… you know, I see there're six of you, and there're three two stored beds…" ~who am I pushing off the sleep-place?~ was her actual question she didn't dare to voice out. Miles chuckled. "Don't worry. Shadow doesn't sleep at all, she doesn't need bed." Sabie's eyes immediately turned to the shadow standing nearby, but she kept silence.  
  
"Thanks" Sabie muttered to no one particularly and turned her attention back to the girl on the bed. "Why is she sleeping?" she questioned before realizing how dull the question sounds at time over midnight. However the answer wasn't what she was awaiting. "Got shot. Needs rest." Simon said shortly, and Sabie saw a white picking out from under girl's top.  
  
~What have I gotten into?…~ Sabie thought.  
  
###  
  
It was when everyone went asleep when the shadow came to her as Sabie was packing out her things somewhat. She rose her head immediately and stared at her.  
  
"You wanted to know what have I done?" Shadow asked, and she nodded. Shadow stepped away from the beds and motioned Sabie to follow, which she did. They stopped at the other end of the basement and sat on the wooden boxes. Sabie comforted herself on the tough material and looked at the shadow.  
  
"I hypnotized them. Now they think they decided to take you into the gang. They don't remember their try to kill you, and you better don't remind them." Shadow paused. "Why?" Sabie asked quietly and almost felt Shadow arching her eyebrow. ~I meant why did you save me, not why I shouldn't tell them…~ she wanted to say, but shadow replied. "I saved your life. All I want is you remembering it." Sabie frowned, but didn't say a word. Not the right time, she felt.  
  
"You'll have to survive here, girl." Shadow went on. "I see you dunno where you've gotten." "No, I know it's Los-Angels" Sabie nodded confidently. Shadow shook her head. "Do you know about FOH?" Sabie nodded. She remembered them being those guys who check on the small mutants and mutants at all.  
  
"USA is the center of Friends Of Humanity organization." "So what?" Sabie questioned. Shadow signed. "You know what do they do?" "Sure. They check the mutants whether they're dangerous or not. I don't like them." she made a face. Shadow shook her head.  
  
"It's more than that here. They don't check. They kill. Every mutant they see. Sometimes…" she leaned closer "…they kill even humans who thought to be mutants."  
  
Sabie blinked. "Really?…" she questioned quietly. "Really-really." Shadow replied, however it didn't even sound funny. "They do it. Why? 'cos they hate mutants. How? Different ways. The only thing I'd say you – don't let them get the collar on you."  
  
"What collar?" "Metal one. It'll take your powers away." Sabie's eyebrows flew up. "How?" Shadow signed. "Who cares? It's just that you'll loose everything your mutation gives. But it ain't everything. There's more. Cops. Other gangs. People around, especially if they see your mutation."  
  
"What shall I do then?" Sabie asked confused.  
  
"As I said you shall survive here. For that I'll give you some advices." Sabie blinked. "First: be confident. Even if you ain't sure in what you're doing – don't let others see it. Don't let the hesitation overwhelm you." She paused letting the words sink into Sabie's mind.  
  
"Second: use your powers. You have healing factor and claws, you're the born fighter. What a shame you hadn't used our skills before." She looked at Sabie preventing any questions like "How do you know about healing?"  
  
"And third" suddenly Shadow reached for Sabie and pulled her closer by the collar of half-opened shirt. Her fingers felt cold against Sabie's skin. "Never give up. Never ever give up." Shadow whispered and looked into her eyes forcing Sabie to look back.  
  
For a moment the blue shining disappeared and there was something else there: white room with multistoried beds; numbness in whole body; lightly tanned face with cold steel eyes and lips whispering "…break you one way or…" ; the cell, small, damp and so cold Sabie's skin turned goose; herself laying on the bed covered with sheets, short lady in red dress fumbling around; some book in her hands, she even tried to read the title "Bible of…"; then there was burning on her forehead that got so intense she screamed before loosing consciousness. "Never give up…" someone whispered, then the world faded.  
  
Shadow's eyes glowed blue, and Sabie's body was pulled up by some force and flew to the second layer of the bed that was meant to be hers. "Sleep well" Shadow whispered. "Get rest, girl, you need it."  
  
Part2  
  
"No, Sabie, no way you win like this. The arm goes a bit forward here, as if the target is more far than it is in real, see?" Miles roughly yanked her arm forward. Sabie growled "Hey, easy there, fool!" In a moment she hit the floor. "No fools around" Miles seeped through clenched teeth.  
  
###  
  
"That's better, girl, just keep your fist on the same line with the arm so you won't break the wrist." "It'll heal anyway" she muttered. Alex chuckled. "You like broken bones?" "Nope." "Then hold the line."  
  
###  
  
"Whoa, whoa, Sab', it's more than enough!" Simon jumped out of her way. "You did good." Sabie smirked and rubbed her sore forearm waiting for bruises to heal. Simon took the steel-plated knuckle set off cleaning away some blood with the rag. "You have potential, girl – you can heal. Any potentially mortal wound will only slow you down for some minutes. It's your valuable advantage, remember it."  
  
Sabie chuckled. "You know, it was time I thought people also heal fast. Maybe not as fast as me, but definitely not all that slow." She chuckled even more. "I was six as I thought so."  
  
"Anyway, your fighting is quite impressive for your age, Sab'. What you lack is your own technique that will include special hits for your claws – it'd be stupid to have them and not to use them." "I'll think about it." Sabie responded, her eyes catching Shadow behind Simon's form. She was watching her.  
  
###  
  
(January 2031)  
  
~What does she want from me?…~ Sabie thought, smoking.  
  
It was Miles who taught her how to smoke. It was disgusting at first, deafing her senses, then it got bearable, and then she got used to it and fell inline. Taking a deep drag from the cigarette, she shifted on the bed comforting herself.  
  
She wasn't sleeping on the second layer now, since they moved to another chamber with heating and normal bed for each one. And again Shadow didn't take a bed. "Do you ever sleep?" Sabie asked her once, and she shook her head. "I don't need to." "Who're you?" she asked finally, all confused. "And who are you?" Shadow replied, and Sabie shut up.  
  
They had stolen some credit cards, turned them into cash and bought new winter clothes for them and Sabie. She smiled, glancing at her winter coat hanging off the chair: gray with black fur on the cuffs and collar – right what she was dreaming about. As she tried it on in a shop, she finally realized how much weight she lost while in gang. With the height of about 5' she had only 34kg compared with her usual forty.  
  
Than again, her thoughts returned to Shadow. She didn't need clothes. Even more, as she put the red mini-skirt in front of Sabie's hips to see if it'll fit, she definitely felt the cool flesh touching her back. It was then when it hit her Shadow was nude under her shadows, and it made her blush and pull away. What it didn't do was that it didn't embarrass Shadow.  
  
So, she didn't sleep, she didn't need clothes, and as far as Sabie knew she didn't eat or drink. She wasn't making a sound as she walked and… she wasn't dropping a shadow, on the floor or on the wall like normal people do.  
  
She saved her from the gang she was in now, the gang who gave her home and food, who taught her to defend herself and even more, who were her best friends now.  
  
And she needed something from her. Sabie couldn't figure out what exactly.  
  
There were just pictures in her head. Two small pictures that meant nothing for her except for them being in her head all the time, rising up in dreams occasionally, or just when she closed her eyes.  
  
One of them was the book. Black, in leather cover with golden letters on it that she couldn't read properly. Sometimes it was frustrating her, she could see the book clearly, even the winkles in the leather, but everything she could read out of the title was "Bible of…" "Of what?" muttered Sabie at those times, still she couldn't comprehend.  
  
The other object was the hoop, the one to wear on the head. It was metal and even from the image it looked cold, especially the purple stone in the middle of it. It was staring at her like some eye, considering, valuing. Her. Sometimes Sabie was just looking back at it, at the day time making faces, at night shivering slightly. Every time the stone had that I-don't- want-you look, and she was wondering how come the stone, regular dead stone could look like that.  
  
She didn't know. The only thing she knew was that those images appeared soon after she joined 'Sneaks'. Soon after she got knows Shadow.  
  
"What do you want from me?…" she mouthed before drifting into sleep.  
  
###  
  
It was then when the weird voice appeared in her head. Every time she couldn't do something, that happened quite often due to most of gang's activities being new for her, it started chanting in her head. "Don't give up, don't give up" At first she thought it's the cause of her nervousness and lack of sleep, but then she found out it wasn't.  
  
~Great. Now I'm going insane, slowly but steadily.~ she chuckled.  
  
After some time of her trying to deny the voice's existence, she realized it was at least stupid to ignore obvious facts. Then she began analyzing it, first the words it was telling.  
  
"Never give up". Three simple words. Why them? "Never give up". That meant holding on, not surrendering, going to the end… hmm. It puzzled her. Why that? Why not "Love me forever" or "Happy New Year"?  
  
She felt it meant something, once she even connected the voice with the images in her mind: the book and the hoop, that appeared in her mind occasionally. Though they weren't clear, she knew they started appearing along with the voice.  
  
She spent some more days thinking, then the swirl or life claimed her and she forgot her hypnotizes and accepted the voice as the part of her insane brain.  
  
###  
  
The time passed quickly among gang's activities. Robbing, escaping from the cops no one cared about much, occasional escaping from FOH soldiers that was way to more serious. It all was sucking in, and soon Sabie gave into it completely.  
  
By that time she got to know her gang-mates better. There were six of them, everyone mutant, everyone special.  
  
There were best friends like Miles and Alex. Both tall, though Miles was more muscular. He had the 'sneak stare' as he called it, other words he could hypnotize. He was the one to make fun of cops making them band into the walls or dance polka on the street. Unfortunately, he could control the person only during the direct eye-contact, what had put them into the trouble several times. Sabie didn't like Miles. He possessed sadistic nature.  
  
Alex was one of the most peaceful members, under other circumstances he could have been called shy, but now he was just calm. His mutation had actually scared Sabie the first time… and then some. He could control any electrical devices through the organic cords in his veins. The mutation was veeery helpful, but the moment Sabie saw his veins yanking themselves out of his arms and protruding to the computer, she turned around, made several steps and hurled.  
  
Ishira, the Japanese one, wasn't communicative person, so everything Sabie knew was that he could form the wind, and that he didn't like to talk.  
  
Simon was the guy Sabie actually liked. Tall, strong, with raven-black hair and pale skin, he had calm and extremely self-confident nature. About the powers – he was telekinetic. He was the one who helped her several times when she didn't know what to do on their small ops, even that time when she was caught during her first steal.  
  
Illian was the mystery. To start with, her whole body, at least the parts Sabie had seen, was covered with various tattoos, from different branches and flowers to strange signs. Every morning and every evening she took out a pack of cards and placed them around herself in the order only she knew. Sometimes she was talking the way Sabie couldn't understand, but what she told her cards told her, everything of that appeared to be true. Once Sabie even wanted to ask her about those two images she had in her head, but didn't dare, as Shadow was around.  
  
Shadow was beyond description. What could she say about someone who doesn't eat, drink, sleep, breath, and doesn't carry any clothes on?  
  
Part3  
  
(March 2033)  
  
It was the early morning as she heard some footsteps nearby. Her first thought was to wake Simon up, she even reached for his arm, when the sound of the falling bottle brought everyone onto their feet. It was a bottle they positioned on the doorknob of the chamber so it'd fall down and crash if anyone enters their quarters.  
  
In a moment everyone was on alert, but it was way too late already. Two dozens of soldiers jumped into the chamber.  
  
The very first reaction of Ishira was to form the wind that stormed over the men. It pushed them back to the entrance and pressed to the walls those who didn't fit into the door. The attackers were paralyzed.  
  
"Run!" he screamed, increasing the wind. One of the men tried to shoot, but couldn't get the weapon off the wall.  
  
"Be careful, they ain't the ones here!" Simon yelled over the hiss around and leaped to the window. "Sabie, you first!" She knew why he was doing it. If someone was there, she could handle the wounds other couldn't. they were using her as a shield, but at the moment she was far from complaining.  
  
As she sneaked out of the chamber, Illian followed. By the time she was up, it got clear no one was waiting them here. She turned around and was ready to say it to Simon when she saw Shadow in the background, her eyes shining in darkness.  
  
She didn't see her lips moving, but somehow she felt her whispering. "Run".  
  
Without hesitation Sabie span around and ran. Afterwards she couldn't explain herself what made her run, but at that moment she wasn't thinking, just acting.  
  
She was about fifty feet away from the window as the silence around was torn by several screams. She paused in her run and turned around breathily.  
  
The chamber was set on fire. Some frames were whirling inside, running, banging into the walls, like living frames. They were screaming like being skinned alive. And there was a man standing outside the window with the flame-thrower in his hands.  
  
Sabie felt the Rage boiling in her throat, pushing its way up like nausea, unwanted but undeniable. She was ready to jump on him and slash him to death when she felt herself being pulled away by someone.  
  
He senses were blocked by the Rage, and all she could see were the gang, her friends, twisting in fire, not the person who was holding her hand. Only when her lungs were ready to jump out, the person stopped.  
  
In the dim light of the moon Sabie saw it was Illian, those hand Sabie clenched in hers as Shadow warned her of the danger.  
  
~Warned?…~ Sabie frowned. ~Why didn't she warn the others then? Why me?~ "You're okay?" Illian questioned. She nodded. "We shall find the other place to live then." She said. "We can't leave on the street. Maybe someone survived." She said without any logic, and Sabie couldn't blame her.  
  
Instead she shook her head. "They all burned." She whispered, and frowned at some weird feeling the memory gave her at those words. ~Not all of them…~ she thought.  
  
A quite hiss followed and she felt a sting in her neck. Sabie heard a squeak of Illian and the sound of heavy boots approaching, then the world went black.  
  
She lives in November with the window to the North  
  
In the room of the city that tears the walls with frost  
  
She's dreaming to see the sea with mysterious cliffs  
  
Where the waves are crashing the tired coral reef  
  
She's so lonely in this weird city of dream  
  
Where only the empty corners are the only places where she can lean  
  
Where the breakfast consists of the fried scents of hope  
  
Where live the sellers or the drawn soap and rope  
  
("Window", Dolphin, translated from Russian by Sabie)  
  
The END 


End file.
